Tutorial: How to Line A Blanket with Fleece

I’m so glad this tutorial is finally here! I forgot to photograph the process when I lined by Harry Potter blanket with fleece, and I never got a chance to do so with the Star Wars CAL. Luckly, though, we’ve been doing CALs all year long, so it’s the Star Trek Lapghan CAL to the rescue!

It’s important to note that these photos can be difficult to really see what’s going on in fine detail because:

I used black yarn to join my squares and to do my bordes, and

I used black fleece to line the blanket.

Black on black does not make for great photos, but it is very forgiving. If you’re new to lining blankets with fleece, then maybe it’s worth it to stick to the black or other dark colors! It certainly made my blanket look much sharper than it actually is!

Here we go!

How to Line a Blanket with Fleece

I used black fleece for this project, which I managed to get on sale from my local Jo-Ann’s. You can use whatever color fleece you like! Or, if you prefer other fabrics, just make sure you hem the edges so that they don’t fray.

Gather your materials. You will need your crocheted blanket (squares already joined), a skip stitch rotary cutter, scissors, fleece, a measuring tape, and a good cutting surface (I have foam blocks pictured below since I don’t have a mat and didn’t want to damage my table, but they didn’t work very well). You will also need yarn!
Ready to go!

Carefully measure the width and length of your crocheted blanket, first along the middle and then on the sides, just to make sure your first measurement is correct!

Mine measured 32″ long…

by 33″ wide–almost perfectly square!

Very carefully, measure your fleece to the same measurements as your blanket.
You can lay your cut fleece on top of your crocheted blanket to make sure it’s the right size! If desired, use a strategically-placed pin to mark which end is “up”.

Lay your fleece out on your cutting surface, then use your skip stitch rotary cutter to cut the holes for your yarn along each edge. (Note: My skip stitch required me to press quite forcibly against the fleece–I had to re-cut two of my edges because they didn’t go through the first time!)
If desired, you can use a flat edge, like a ruler, to help guide your blade as you go. This will make sure your holes line up straight!

Now you’re ready to crochet a border around your fleece! Starting in any corner, insert your hook into the hole you just cut.
Try to use the same size hook you’ve used to crochet the blanket. My skip stitch blade made the holes just a little too small for me to keep using the same hook, so I downsized a couple hook sizes.

Pull up a loop of new yarn and ch 1. Then simply work 1 sc in each of the holes you cut with your skip stitch.
Keep crocheting along!

When you get to a corner, you can work 3 sc in the same corner hole. This will help keep your corners flat!
It’s hard to see, but there are 3 sc sts in that corner!

Continue in this way all around the fleece. When you’re finished, you can fasten off.
You can see that my fleece bunched up a little bit around the edges, which is okay. It all worked out in the end!

Place your finished fleece on the back of your crocheted blanket. If desired, pin the pieces together so that it stays in place while you join them.
I didn’t pin my pieces, but it would have made it a bit easier!

Starting in a corner, place your hook through the border stitch made on the fleece AND through the border stitch of the crocheted blanket. Pull up a loop of yarn and ch 1.
Pull up a loop and ch 1.

Continue to crochet through both layers of the blanket (fleece and crochet) until you get to a corner. Work 3 sc in the corner, then continue along the rest of the blanket!
A few stitches into the joining of the fleece and crocheted sides of the blanket. See how nicely they come together?

When you’ve crocheted all the edges together, fasten off. Weave in any remaining tails that resulted from the joining of squares or the joining of the fleece and crocheted side of the blanket.

If desired, you can use pieces of yarn to tie together the two sides of the blanket! I did nine ties total: one in the center of the blanket, four in the center of the seams of the joined squares (in the black borders), and one in the center of each of the four squares.

To do the ties, cut 9 strands of yarn roughly 6″. This will give you plenty of length to work with. Use a needle (preferably one without a blunt tip!) to pull the first half of the yarn tail through both layers of the blanket.

Carefully feed the yarn through the blanket with your needle.

Gently pull the yarn tail through!

Use your yarn needle to pull the other half of the yarn tail through. Pull this end of the yarn tail through just about a quarter of an inch away from where you pulled the first end through.

Pull it through…

..and there you go!

Tie the yarn tail ends together. I did a few square knots, topped with a Lark’s Head knot. Pull the yarn ends tight and then trim to about 1″.
Nice and tidy!

Repeat steps 14-16 as necessary for each tie you want to make. LIke I said, I made 9 with this blanket, and it really helps keep the pieces from separating!

Hard to see, but there’s all nine of my blanket ties in a (mostly) neat grid!

And there you have it! Your blanket is now ready to be enjoyed or gifted, stored or snuggled with. And the fleece backing makes it nice and soft–perfect for a cuddly blanket!

I hope this tutorial helps give you an idea of how I am lining my blankets. I’m still pretty new at it, but I guarantee you that there’s a lot you can do (and fast!) with a skip stitch rotary cutter and a good flat cutting surface!

Thank you soooo much for sharing and giving step by step instructions that make sense. I’m making twin baby blankets and needed a way to line them with fabric without sewing. Took sometimes to get to your page but it was worth it!
Thanks again 🙂